90 per cent of attacks on journalists in Mexico go unpunished

Mexico City : Ninety per cent of the murders and attacks on journalists in Mexico go unpunished, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCDH) said.

An analysis by the group found that just 10 per cent of 176 cases opened by prosecutors into homicides, disappearances and attacks against media had ended in sentences for those responsible, Xinhua news agency reported.

Speaking at a forum on freedom of speech in the Mexican state of Yucatan, national ombudsman Luis Raul Gonzalez said that crimes against the press have result in self-censorship by journalists, with many becoming displaced or even leaving the country altogether.

The CNDH analysis showed that federal and state governments have not fulfilled the task of investigating and punishing aggressions against the press despite a warning from the profession, said Gonzalez on Saturday.

Attacks on the press have increased, as only four murders of journalists happened in 2000, 13 in 2016 and 10 in 2017 so far.

These growing aggressions are also reflected in the number of complaints presented by journalists to CNDH, reaching 351 since 2014.

The Mexican government has vowed to improve mechanisms to protect journalists after a series of murders across the country.